NEW YORK (USA) - Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant gave the sports world many unforgettable moments in their historic careers, in both international basketball and in the NBA.
The names of each have been immortalized further after a sports card bearing their signatures - the 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs Jordan & Bryant card, numbered 1-of-1 - was just sold for a whopping $12.932 million at Heritage Auctions.
According to Heritage Auctions, the auction price surpassed the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which sold for $12.6 million in late August 2022. Mantle played for the New York Yankees baseball team.
It’s no surprise that a card bearing the signatures of Jordan and Bryant—two legends who shared both greatness and a genuine bond—achieved a record-breaking sale.
Jordan led USA to the gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles before launching his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls. He was also a member of the USA Dream Team that captured the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
He spearheaded Chicago's run to six NBA titles and was MVP of the league five times. "His Airness" was inducted to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Bryant, who shaped his game after Jordan’s, was among the most popular athletes at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where he helped the USA defeat Spain in the Gold Medal Game with a late four-point play. One year before, he also won the AmeriCup 2007 with USA Basketball.
He also played in the Americans' gold medal winning side at the 2012 Olympics in London. Bryant won five NBA titles and was MVP of the league in 2008.
The late Bryant was Global Ambassador for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China.
The Jordan/Bryant card is the second-most expensive sports collectible of all time after Babe Ruth's 1932 World Series "called shot" jersey, which sold for $24.12 million at Heritage Auctions last year.
FIBA